CWIB Book Review: “Mastering Community”
“We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25).
We Need Each Other
I don’t think I’m alone when I say that I am craving community lately. Lockdowns, isolation due to health concerns, and a scramble to shift to remote work have exacerbated feelings of loneliness that already existed before the pandemic. It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately, so I was eager to pick up the new book “Mastering Community: The Surprising Ways Coming Together Moves Us from Surviving to Thriving,” by Georgetown University business professor Christine Porath.
The Catholic Church has always acknowledged the importance of fellowship. Jesus had 12 Apostles who were not just students but friends. We see through the reports of Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles that early Christians lived and worked and worshiped in community. And so it has gone throughout history; we gather to worship God together at Mass rather than alone in our homes. We meet in Bible studies and prayer groups and book clubs. Most men and women are called to live with family, while others, called to religious life, still live in community with other religious. Priests (at least before the current shortages) usually live with other priests.
“It is not good for [man] to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). And this holds true at work, too. Even remote workers meet virtually to collaborate and connect. “Mastering Community” shares data and stories, from a secular perspective, on why and how building community at work is important, both for employees and for the companies they work for.
Beyond Money
I tend to be wary of business books and articles that discuss things like community in terms of data and the “business case.” While it’s true that many leaders are in a position where they have to present data in those terms, I also think that well-intentioned business journalists too often fall into the trap of discussing topics such as diversity and inclusion in ways that diminish the humanity of the actual people involved. It’s a fine line to walk as a writer—I’ve walked it myself, many times—and I do think that, overall, Porath did a good job of walking it. She presented data on the impact having a strong community can have on business results, but she also told many stories of human beings.
My favorite was a surprise. Chapter 5 (“Provide Meaning”) opens with a story about Amy D’Ambra, a partner in an insurance agency, and the inspiration she receives while praying in a church on vacation in Italy to start a Catholic jewelry business. Now, her company, My Saint My Hero, averages about 20,000 to 25,000 pieces of jewelry per month (as of 2020), partnering with women in Medjugorje, Cambodia, and Mexico to help them leave poverty (some have even escaped trafficking) and support themselves and their families.
“The point is that the rewards of the work go beyond money,” writes Porath, and you can see that theme throughout the book. The Church teaches it as well; as Pope Francis writes in “Laudato si’”:
“Work should be the setting for this rich personal growth, where many aspects of life enter into play: creativity, planning for the future, developing our talents, living out our values, relating to others, giving glory to God. It follows that, in the reality of today’s global society, it is essential that ‘we continue to prioritize the goal of access to steady employment for everyone’, no matter the limited interests of business and dubious economic reasoning.”
Sometimes, I think Porath might go a bit too far in the role the workplace should have in someone’s life. For instance, I worry about the implications of companies incentivizing health-related behaviors among employees, since we all have different ways we approach our health, and some have moral implications, particularly for Catholics. Porath also relates an anecdote about a Motley Fool employee who so enjoyed being at work that he didn’t want to stay home during a snowstorm. She shares this story as an example of a strong workplace culture where people loved to work—but we need to be careful not to turn work into an idol. Our time at home should be as important, if not more important, and we shouldn’t want to escape it by being at work. If we do, it should be a sign of a problem. (I know from experience.)
One final critique is that many of the examples presented in this book may be challenging for impossible for small businesses, particularly very small businesses, to implement. Porath does offer some ways small businesses can implement changes to help build a community and support their employees’ thriving, but leaders of small businesses may find it frustrating to hear about benefits and programs larger companies offer that they simply are unable to. That said, the overall takeaway of the book is one that every leader—every professional, really—can and should absorb and apply in his or her role: Treat humans like humans. For Catholics, that means remembering that each employee and each customer is made in the image and likeness of God. With that truth in mind, the rest should fall into place.
Taryn Oesch DeLong is a Catholic wife and mother in North Carolina. After 10 years in nonprofit and editorial work, she left the workplace to be a stay-at-home mom and freelance editor and writer. She encourages women to live out their feminine genius as the managing editor of Catholic Women in Business, a FEMM fertility awareness instructor, and a contributor to publications for Catholic women. Taryn enjoys curling up with a cup of Earl Grey and a good novel, playing the piano, and taking walks in the sunshine with her family. Connect with her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or read her blog, Everyday Roses.